Electronic device with housing supplement

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to an electronic device having a housing, which has a housing wall with openings for control elements and/or display elements. An external wall element, which at least partially covers the housing wall, is detachably connected to the housing. The external wall element has openings which are aligned with the openings in the housing wall. As a result, by using different external wall elements the external appearance of the electronic device can be easily modified.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.08/800,591, filed Feb. 18, 1997.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an electronic device having a housing which hasa housing wall with openings for control and/or display elements.

An electronic device of this kind may be for example a telephone, acordless phone or mobile phone, a pocket calculator, a television set, aradio receiver or for example another electronic domestic appliancewhich, as a rule, is used by private individuals. If, for personalreasons or because of predetermined requirements, the externalappearance of such an electronic device, for example the shape of thehousing or its colour, is to be modified, as a rule this must be carriedout by a specialist since during such an operation the electroniccomponents present in the housing of the electronic device are usuallyexposed. Modification of the appearance of the housing of the electronicdevice is thus laborious, time-consuming and expensive and, moreover,can as a rule only rarely be carried out by private individuals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the invention there is provided an electronic devicehaving a housing which has a housing wall with openings for controlelements and/or display elements, characterized by attachment means fordetachably connecting to the housing an external wall element which atleast partially covers the housing wall, the external wall elementhaving openings which are aligned with the openings in the housing wall.Advantageous refinements of the invention can be found in the subclaims.

An electronic device in accordance with the invention allows theexternal appearance of the housing to be modified rapidly and easilyeven by non-professionals.

With the electronic device according to the invention, a user thus hasthe possibility of modifying the appearance or design of the housing inan extremely short time and without any difficulty by selecting andfitting on an appropriate external wall element. The user can thus moreor less change the housing according to his wishes if external elementswith different shapes and colours are available to him for this purpose.Even external wall elements made of different materials are possible.

When the housing wall provided with openings is covered by the externalwall element, the openings provided in the housing wall and in theexternal wall element are aligned with one another so that for examplethe push-button keys which project through the openings can continue tobe used even after the external wall element is fitted on to the housingwall or display elements which are inserted into the openings cancontinue to be read. This also applies to microphones or loudspeakersinserted into opening, for example in the case of cordless telephones.

With the electronic device according to the invention, the electronicsprovided in the device are always protected against access by thecustomer when the external appearance of the housing is modified.Therefore, if one external wall element is to be replaced by another inorder to give the electronic device a new design, there is no risk ofthe electronics present in the housing being damaged when the externalwall elements are interchanged or of the user being subjected to dangerby the electronics present inside the housing. In this respect, theexternal wall elements could even be interchanged when an electronicdevice is operating.

According to an advantageous refinement of the invention, the externalwall element can engage, at least partially, over further housing wallsof the housing so that the design of the housing can be modified to aneven greater extent or adapted to the wishes of the user to an evengreater degree.

At the same time, the profile of the external wall element can followthe profile of the housing walls of the housing if emphasis is beingplaced not so much on the modification of the shape of the housing butrather on changing the colour or the type of material of the housing.However, the external wall elements can of course have different shapeswhich can also deviate from one another to a greater degree provided itis ensured that after the respective external wall elements have beenconnected to the housing the respective openings in the fitted-onexternal wall element and in the housing wall in question are alignedwith one another.

According to a very advantageous development of the invention, theexternal wall element can be of, for example, shell-shaped design sothat it can be fitted for example with one edge on to a base whichprojects outwards beyond the side walls of the housing.

Any desired attachment means can be used to attach the external wallelement to the housing of the electronic device, but attachment meanswith press-on/catch closure can preferably be used. They ensure a secureconnection between the external wall element and the housing and,moreover, can be easily used without a special tool being required forthem.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is explained in detail below with reference to thedrawing, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a cordless telephone or mobile phone with external wallelement removed;

FIG. 2 shows the cordless or mobile phone according to FIG. 1 with theexternal wall element fitted on;

FIG. 3 shows the external wall element from the underside; and

FIG. 4 shows a section through the wall of the external wall element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention is explained below with reference to a cordless telephoneor mobile phone which serves as an example of an electronic device.However, the invention can also be used in other electronic devices, forexample in wire-connected telephones, in pocket calculators, intelevision sets, in radio receivers, in CD players, In cassetterecorders etc.

In accordance with FIG. 1, a cordless telephone or mobile phoneaccording to the invention has a housing 1 with which a plate-shapedbase element 2 and a shell-shaped housing element 3 are associated. Theplate-shaped based element 2 and the shell-shaped housing element 3 areconnected to one another using screws (not illustrated) which projectthrough openings 4 in the shell-shaped housing element 3 and are screwedinto sockets (not illustrated) which are fixedly connected to the insideof the plate-shaped base element 2. Inside the housing 1 there is acarrier plate, attached in a suitable way, for electronic componentsetc.

The shell-shaped housing element 3 has a housing wall 5 which is locatedessentially parallel with the plate-shaped base element 2 and at adistance therefrom and is integrally connected to side walls 6 which aresupported with their free or lower edge on the plate-shaped base element2. In this arrangement, the plate-shaped base element 2 projectsoutwards beyond the side walls 6 by constant distance in Its edge regionso that a profile with an identical contour is obtained.

In the housing wall 5 there is a plurality of through-openings 7 forelectronic components which are mounted on the carrier plate, alreadymentioned, inside the housing 1, and partially project through thethrough-openings 7. The through-openings 7 can be provided for examplefor push-button keys 8, for a display device 9 or for a loudspeakerdevice/microphone device 10. A corresponding through-opening 7 may alsobe present in the upper side wall 6 for an aerial.

On the side walls 6, extending in the longitudinal direction of thehousing 1, of the shell-shaped housing element 3 there are also in eachcase two attachment means 11 which are designed as press-on/catchclosures at a distance from one another. They are located in each caseat the front and rear ends of the telephone. The attachment means 11have a catch projection 12 which is prestressed outwards in a sprungfashion and can be pressed inwards into the housing 1 counter to theoutwardly acting spring force by means of an externally accessibleactivation element 13. These attachment means serve to attach to thehousing 1 an external wall element 14 which is fitted on to theshell-shaped housing element 3 and is also of shell-shaped design.

The shell-shaped external wall element 14 which is illustrated in FIGS.1 and 3 has approximately the same contour as the shell-shaped housingelement 3 but is designed in such a way that it can receive theshell-shaped housing element 3 in it. If the external wall element 14,which is designed as a thin-walled shell, is fitted on to theshell-shaped housing element 3, the shell-shaped external wall element14 is supported with the free or downwardly pointing edge of its sidewalls on that part of the plate-shaped base element 2 which projectsoutwards beyond the shell-shaped housing element 3. Here, the wallthickness of the side walls of the shell-shaped external wall element 14corresponds to the distance by which the edge of the plate-shaped baseelement 2 projects outwards beyond the side walls 6, 6′ of theshell-shaped housing element 3. As a result, no step remains in theconnection area between the shell-shaped external wall element 14 andthe plate-shaped base element 2. The height of the side walls of theshell-shaped external wall element 14 can be selected here such that themain face of the external wall element 14 comes to rest at a shortdistance from the housing wall 5 and as a result does not exert anypressure on the latter.

Likewise, openings 7′ which are aligned with the openings 7 in thehousing wall 5 of the shell-shaped housing element 3 are provided in themain face of the external wall element 14. Therefore, it is possible tocontinue to operate the telephone even when the external wall element 14is fitted on to the shell-shaped housing element 3. At the same time,the push-button keys 8 can be of such a height that they also projectoutwards beyond the external wall element 14. Openings which are presentin the external wall element 14 for the display device 9 and theloudspeaker device/microphone device 10 can be covered, for example bymeans of a transparent element 15 or a grill 16.

FIG. 2 shows the cordless telephone or mobile phone in a state in whichthe shell-shaped external wall element 14 is fitted on to theshell-shaped housing element 3 and is detachably connected to thehousing 1. On the internal faces of the long side walls of the externalwall element 14 there are notches 12′, one of which is seen in sectionin FIG. 4, for the catch projections 12 of the attachment means 11 sothat the catch projections 12 engage in the notches 12′ as a result ofthe outwardly pressing spring force, and thus hold the external wallelement on the housing 1. In this state, the activation elements 13 arealso pushed outwards but only to such an extent that they do not projectbeyond the side edge of the plate-shaped base element 2 or of theexternal wall element 14. The activation elements 13 can extend here ina groove 17 in the upper face of the plate-shaped base element 2. If theactivation elements 13 are pressed inwards, that is to say inwards alongthe groove 17, for example using a pointed object, they move the catchprojections 12 correspondingly inwards along with them so that the saidcatch projections 12 disengage from the notches 12′ on the inside of theside walls 6 of the external wall element 14. The external wall element14 can then be removed from the housing 1.

The external wall element 14 Is fitted on to the housing 1 by simplypressing it on. The catch projections 12 then engage automatically inthe notches 12′.

The present invention includes any novel feature or combination offeatures disclosed herein either explicitly or any generalisationthereof irrespective of whether or not it relates to the claimedinvention or mitigates any or all of the problems addressed.

In view of the foregoing description it will be evident to a personskilled In the art that various modifications may be made within thescope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A user attachable/detachable replacement externalnon-planar cover for replacing a user detachable external non-planarcover of a hand-held communications device and thereby modifying theexternal appearance of the hand-held communications device comprising: amain face, having an upper surface which is exposed when the cover isattached to the hand-held device; a side wall joining the main face atits edge and extending downwards, away from the upper surface of themain face whereby the main face and at least portions of the side walldefine a cavity, the main face having a plurality of aperturestherethrough to the cavity wherein the side wall provides at least onepress-on catch closure element for forming a user releasable press-oncatch closure with a hand-held communications device having had its userdetachable cover previously removed, the press-on catch closure elementproviding for the attachment and detachment of the cover by a user; andwherein the downwardly pointing side wall has an edge which is arrangedto support the cover on step-like portions of the hand-heldcommunications device and the side wall at the edge has a thicknesscorresponding to the step size of the step-like portions, such that whenthe cover is attached to the hand-held communications device,substantially no step remains in the connection area between the coverand the device.
 2. A user attachable/detachable replacement cover asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one press-on catch closureelement is recessed to form said press-on catch closure with a hand-heldcommunications device having had its user detachable cover previouslyremoved.
 3. A user attachable/detachable replacement cover as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the at least one press-on catch closure elementcomprises a notch located on the interior portion of a side wall.
 4. Auser attachable/detachable replacement cover as claimed in claim 1,wherein the plurality of apertures includes at least one microphoneaperture positioned towards a second end of the main face.
 5. A userattachable/detachable replacement cover as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe plurality of apertures includes a display aperture having atransparent cover element.
 6. A user attachable/detachable replacementcover as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of apertures includeat least one key aperture of distinctive shape positioned by a displayaperture.
 7. A user attachable/detachable replacement cover as claimedin claim 1, wherein the downward extent of the side walls is such thatthe main face of the external cover does not touch or exert pressure onthe hand-held communications device.
 8. A user attachable/detachablereplacement cover as in claim 1, wherein said cover can be attached ordetached by a user without employing a tool.